The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. It was the first US medium bomber used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe.

In March 1939, the United States Army Air Corps issued Circular Proposal 39-640, a specification for a twin-engined medium bomber, demanding a maximum speed of 350 mph (563 km/h), a range of 3,000 mi (4,830 km) and a bomb-load of 2,000 lb (900 kg). On 5 July 1939, the Glenn L. Martin Company submitted its design, produced by a team lead by Peyton M. Magruder, to meet the requirement, the Martin Model 179. Martin's design was evaluated as superior to the other proposals and was awarded a contract for 201 aircraft, to be designated B-26.[3] The B-26 went from paper concept to an operational bomber in approximately two years.[4] Additional orders for a further 930 B-26s followed in September 1940, still prior to the first flight of the type.

The B-26 was a shoulder-winged monoplane of all metal construction, fitted with a tricycle undercarriage. It had a streamlined, circular section fuselage, housing the crew, consisting of a bombardier in the nose, which was armed with a 30 caliber machine gun, a pilot and co-pilot sitting side-by side, with positions for radio-operator and navigator behind the pilots. A gunner manned a dorsal turret armed with two .5 50 caliber machine guns while an additional 30 caliber machine gun was fitted in the tail. Two bomb-bays were mid-fuselage, capable of carrying 5,800 lb of bombs.

The aircraft distinguished itself as "the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front" according to a United States Army Air Forces dispatch from 1946 and later variants maintained the lowest loss record of any U.S. combat aircraft during World War II. Its late-war loss record stands in sharp contrast to its unofficial nickname "The Widowmaker" — earned due to early models' high rate of accidents during takeoff. A total of 5,288 were produced between February 1941 and March 1945; 522 of these were flown by the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force. By the time the United States Air Force was created, separate from the Army, all Martin B-26's had been retired from US service; The Douglas A-26 Invader then assumed the B-26 designation.

The Cleveland Martin B-26 "Marauder" is an extremely challenging kit and it is even harder to adapt to powered flight. However, examples that I have seen, particularly of the large scale version are absolutely breathtaking.

Cleveland Model of the Martin B-26 Marauder
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You can buy the plans and patterns that will enable you to make this model right now. Click Here to go to the exact location on the Cleveland Website to get them.